New Zealand's cattle slaughter forecast to rise slightly in 2025

FAS/Wellington forecasts slaughter numbers for 2025 MY to total 4.645 million head, which is just a 5,000 head increase on the current forecast for the outgoing 2024 MY, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report. Factors causing this increase in slaughter include changes to the dairy industry’s approach to the retention of non-replacement calves on farms. This results in more slaughter of more heifers and steers as calves historically regarded as wastage are now being finished at a mature weight. Therefore, FAS/Wellington maintains the number of other cattle (heifers, steers, and bulls) slaughtered, despite a decrease in cow slaughter numbers. This retention strategy of calves changes the national pastoral livestock farming herd. New Zealand has a history of being heavily sheep-centric, to now, where the sheep and deer herds are decreasing at a rate more than twice that of the cattle herd. As a result, this ...